Skirt and skirt attachment.



Patented Novf'?, 1911.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

HERMAN ,4 TTORNEVS SKIRT AND SKIRT ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 11,1910.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

J. A. HERMAN. SKIRT AND SKIRT ATTACHMENT. APPLIUATION FILED MAY 11,1910.

Patented Nov.7,1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

(DLUMBIA FLANODRAPH CS" WASPUNUTON. D. C.

JACOB A. HERMAN, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

SKIRT AND SKIRT ATTACHMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. "Z, 1911.

Application led May 11, 1910. Serial No. 560,608.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB A. HERMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, county of New York, and State of New York, have nvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Skirts and Skirt Attachments, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in skirts and skirt attachment-s, and particularly attachments for skirts of that class wherein provision is made for increasing and diminishing the size thereof at the waist line. These skirts are frequently termed maternity skirts, although it is evident that they may be used by any person whose girth varies at frequent intervals, as in the lcase of very eshy persons.

The principal object of my invention, therefore, is to provide a device for attachment to a skirt whereby, in conjunction with cooperating means on the latter the material of the skirt may be folded and the waist line thereby readily increased or diminished at will, or as occasion requires.

A further object of my invent-ion is to provide such a device which may be easily adjusted to any desired position upon the skirt.

Another object is to provide such a device having means for preserving the rear center line of the skirt where the folds are brought together, in such straight regular form as to give the appearance of the ordinary edge of the garment opening, rather than a fold.

This invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in and falling within scope of the appended claim.

In the drawings-Figure l is a rear elevation of one of my improved skirts in place upon the wearer, and having my skirt attachment secured thereto; Fig. 2 is an elevation partly in perspective, of my skirt attachment aiixed to the waist band of a skirt, before the same is folded, showing in dotted lines the positions to which the same may be moved; Fig. 3 is a similar view partly in perspective, showing the attachment in posit-ion when the skirt is folded; Fig. 4 is a cross section on line 4 4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is an elevation of the parts of my attachment in extended position and disasseciated from the skirt; Fig. 6 is a similar view, showing a modied form of my attachment, and having a. covering over the same; and Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross section on line 7 7 of Fig. 6.

Referring to the construction illustrated in the drawings-A represents a skirt having the usual slit or placket a and waist band B. The waist band B is provided on either side of the placket a with a series of equi-distant metallic eyelets Z9', b2. v

The skirt attachment, which is preferably formed of thin met-al or other comparatively stiff material, is represented in whole at C and D, as more clearly shown in Fig. 5. The member C comprises two parts C C2, which are hingedly connected as at C3. The member D is similar in shape to the member C, and comprises the two parts D D2, hingedly connected as at D3. The parts C and C2 of the member C, it will be observed, are of somewhat peculiar shape, the member C consisting of a comparatively short arm C4, and a relatively long lateral eXtension thereof C5; and the member C2 consisting of a short arm C6 and the long arm C7. The parts D and D2 of the member D are similar in construction to the parts C C2, the part D comprising the short arm D4 and the long arm D5, and the part D2 comprising the short arm DG and the long arm D7. Each of the members C' and D are provided with a plurality of ball and socket fasteners, the construction of which is well known and need not be described in detail, but are clearly represented in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The respective short arms C4, D4 have secured thereto the male members E of the fasteners and the respective short arms C6 D6 have secured thereto the female members F of the fasteners, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The respective male members E of the fasteners are, when in operative position projected through the respective eyelets b b2 of the waist band B and into the respective members F of the fasteners. The long straight edge of the part C2 will be provided with a plurality of veyes G, and the i corresponding long straight edge of the member D2 will be provided withv a plurality of hooks H, or vice versa. Other fastening devices, however, may be employed if preferred. The long straight edges of the parts C G2, designated at l I it will be seen, when the attachment is extended as shown in Fig. 5 are cut slightly diagonal t0 a line drawn at right angles to the edge bearing the hinge, and the same is true of the long straight edges designated at J J of the parts D D2, and when the members are folded into operative position, the respective edges I I and J J will coincide.

In Figs. G and 7 I have shown a modified form of the attachment, wherein the shape of the parts is precisely the same as that shown in the other figures of the drawing, except in the particular herein pointed out. In those figures, the construction embodies the members C and D. The member C comprises the parts C C2 and the member D comprises the parts D D2. The members C and D respectively, are provided with a covering D3 of strong flexible materia-l such as canvas, buckram, linen or the like, and the parts C C2 and D D2, respectively being placed end to end under said covering, the latter acts as a hinge for the respective parts and avoids the necessity of using the hinges C3 D3 of the construction shown in Fig. 5. IVith the exception of making each of the members C, D in separate parts and providing a cover therefor which both acts as a hinge and protects the skirt from being frayed or otherwise damaged by any sharp edges of the metal of the attachment, when metal is used, the remaining parts of the device and their operation are precisely the same as the parts illustrated in the other lig ures of the drawing, and a description of the operation of the one will suffice for a description of the operation of the other.

rFhe attachment is placed in operative po- Sition in the waist band B of the skirt in the following manner. The part C, shown in extended position in Fig. 5, is folded forwardly and downwardly, and turned around to the position shown in Fig. 2, and, as folded, is placed over the upper edge of the waist band B, the male members E of the ball and socket fasteners are projected through the eyelets b of the waist band of the skirt, and when the parts of the fastener are in place it will be seen that the attachment is secured to the skirt with the pari. C2 on the outer side of the skirtand the part C on the inner side, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and l of the drawing. This description will also apply to the parts D D2 of the member D of the attachment. Assuming the parts to be in the positions shown in Fig. 2 the member C and the member D are each turned over with its infolded layer of the material of the skirt toward the ccnter line or placket of the skirt so that the eyes G on the member C and the hooks H on the member D adjoin each other to be connected, as clearly shown in Fig. 8. It

will be seen that in this operation there is a fold of the material of the skirt about each of the parts C C2 of the member C of the attachment; the same operation is followed as to the member D, so that when the two members are joined by the hooks and eyes of the respective members, it gives the appearance of the ordinary slit or placket of the skirt, without its being apparent to an observer that the material has been folded. The purpose of having the edges I I J J of the members C, D placed diagonally will now be clear, for in placing the parts to gether at the waist line, more pressure is exerted at that point and less pressure from there down, and this difference is compensated for so that the attachment shall be on a straight line from the top to the bottom, as seen in Fig. 3, and the edges of the outer folds of course follow the plain edge of the parts C, D of the members C, D respectively, they being relatively rigid, and the appearance is thereby given of a perfectly straight line placket.

It will be evident that my attachment may be moved to and placed upon any part of the waist line within the series of eyelets, and by means thereof, if the waist band is too tight it may be loosened, and if too loose, the material thereof may be taken in, quickly and without inconvenience.

It will be understood that I do not confine myself to all the precise details of construction herein described, as modification and variation may be made without depart-ing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claim.

I claim:

In combination, a skirt having a waist band and a placket and means for adjusting the skirt by forming folds therein at and below the waist line, said means comprising a. plurality of holding members, one member at each side of the placket and adapted to be secured to the waist band at different points thereon, each of said holding members consisting of an inner and an outer' clamping part, about which the skirt may be folded, means common to both said parts for securing the same to the waist band, an arm projecting laterally from each of said parts and means on two opposing clamping parts and arms, whereby on reversal, the same may be secured together at their edges, the other clamping parts and arms being ein braced by the outer folds of the skirt where by the latter are held in alinement.

J. A. HERMAN.

Wtnesses:

LAURA E. SMITH, NELLIE FLAHERTY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

